Beautiful Lake of the Woods is known for a variety of reasons, but the Historical Sites of all of Lake of the Woods County reveal a special form of beauty and a rich history of pioneers who made it that way.

Lake of the Woods County Museum in Baudette is a bridge to the past. It has historical exhibits on geology, natural history, and native cultures. The Great Forest Fire of 1910 was a very serious historical event where a spark from the train onto grass during a very dry season set off a fire that wiped out the towns of Baudette and Spooner and took many lives. All these years later, locals still speak of those times and of the remarkable recovery and resilience of the people of the area.

From fur traders exploring the river and the lake to the commercial fishing of the past, the history is rich in this northern country. Then, of course, logging, agriculture and pharmaceutical industries all mark the historical value of the area.

A new exhibit came in the spring of 2020. It is the Cairn of Peace from the World Ploughing Competition that was held the fall of 2019 in Lake of the Woods County where 28 countries joined in from around the world. The Cairn of Peace was a gift given from that event to the county and it was placed at the museum for all passers-by to see. The museum is open seasonally or by appointment.

The Baudette Depot – Once abandoned in the 1980s, is now completely renovated as of 2011. The Depot of 1923 is one of Baudette’s favorite connections to the Canadian Railway and start to the city of Baudette. The depot sits on land leased from CN (the Canadian National Railways) at the very end of Main Ave. Head in for a private tour

 

or attend one of the many festivities and art shows this beautiful location holds. This is a great venue that can be rented for special occasions and each season is the location for special Christmas programs and a Corn Feed and Blue Grass festival.

Fort St. Charles – is the site of the original fortress and fur-trading post erected in 1732, by the French-Canadian voyageurs. The fort is on Magnusson’s Island and is open to the public. This island is accessible by boat during open water months and snowmobile during the winter months. There is no charge to visit this site but is so rich in its history of the early exploration times.

 

Faunce Tower Lookout – is a 100 foot stairway tower erected by the Civilian Conservations Corps in 1935. It replace an older tower located 3 miles to the south of the original along Faunce Forest Road. It also marks the lost village of Faunce.  Settlers from days gone by came to this area to establish home sites in the forest. Faunce campground is located at this site which stands roughly 12 miles south of Williams on Co Rd 2.

Norris Camp – is today’s headquarters of the Red Lake Wildlife Management Area. The history of Norris Camp began in 1933 with President Roosevelt’s CCC program and it became the impetus for creating Norris Camp. Today you can travel to Faunce Tower and Norris Camp view the beauty of the Beltrami Forest with native pines lining the drive. Bicycle enthusiasts would especially enjoy this ride.

Painted Rock Island – is located on Lake of the Woods. Earliest Settlers and those passing through have left their mark on the north side of that Rock. These pictographs are estimated to be over 900 years old. This can be viewed from a boat in the channel between Painted Rock Island and Split Rock Island adjacent to the NW Angle just into Ontario.

 

Historical Sites at Lake of the Woods also includes Native history found on both sides of this international border. Come and enjoy the beauty of Lake of the Woods area by traveling through its rich history.

Click here to access the Lake of the Woods Tourism website.

Click here for a list of lodging and ice fishing packages on Lake of the Woods.